Trump’s team moves to stop The Apprentice sale, release in US

The legal team of former US president Donald Trump has sent a cease and desist letter to the filmmakers of The Apprentice in an effort to block its sale and release in the US.

The attorneys for Trump, in a letter, warned makers of the film not to pursue a distribution deal, Variety reported.

It is pertinent to mention that The Apprentice shows Trump’s rise to power in the real estate sector and his relationship with Roy Cohn.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2024 on May 20 and received an eight-minute standing ovation.

Reacting to the letter, a producer of the movie said in a statement that the film is a fair and balanced portrait of the former president.

“We want everyone to see it and then decide,” he added.

Director by Ali Abbasi, The Apprentice stars Sebastian Stan as young Donald Trump alongside Jeremy Strong as his lawyer and mentor Roy Cohn.

Earlier, Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign threatened to file a lawsuit against the makers calling the film “garbage” and “pure fiction.”

“We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers,” a spokesperson for Trump campaign’s said in a statement.

Later, the director of the explosive Trump biopic defended the controversial scene showing the former US president raping his wife, telling AFP the alleged incident is ‘well known’ and sheds light on the ex-president’s character.

“This particular thing is very well known. This incident, Ivana Trump said it under deposition, under oath,” said filmmaker Ali Abbasi.

In real life, Ivana made the accusation during divorce proceedings but later rescinded the allegation. She died in 2022.